Convertible sofa-beds are highly desirable in applications where living space is limited, such as with recreational vehicles. Convertible sofa-beds typically include a base structure and a plurality of upholstered platform sections, which form the seat and backrest and can be manually shifted relative to the base frame between a sofa configuration and a bed configuration. Heretofore, pivots, hinges, linkages and tracks are used to convert the platform sections between the folded sofa and unfolded bed positions.
The convertible sofa-bed embodying this invention includes a base, a sliding and pivoting seat, a fold-out extension pivotally connected to the seat, and a fold-down seat back pivotally mounted to the base. The seat is pivotally connected to a pair of slides that ride on side rails mounted to the base, which allow the seat to manually shift between a horizontal seat position over the base and a horizontal bed position spaced from the base. The seat is also pivotally connected to the slide by a ball joint that allows the seat to pivot upward so that the extension can be unfolded from beneath the seat. The ball joint connection between the slides and seat frame prevents the seat from binding when shifted between the seat position and the bed position even if the seat is not perfectly square with respect to the side rails as it is manually lifted and moved.
The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.